ABSTRACT
The present work was aimed at verifying whether the hamster is susceptible to strain of Mycobacterium avium isolated from lymphadenitis of swine and to describe the infectious process from oral inoculation. In experiment 1 there was a test of three concentrations of M. avium (108, 107 and 106 ufc/0.5 mL of saline solution) inoculated for the intraperitoneal route, with the intention to define the dose-test of experiment 2. In experiment 2 125 hamsters were inoculated orally with 108 ufc of M. avium, searching for the agent in the blood, peritonium, spleen, liver and lung, at 2, 10, 25, 50, 80 and 256 days post-inoculation, with histological examination of these organs. Results: 1) the hamster was susceptible to infection by M. avium, inoculated by the intraperitoneal and oral route; 2) the hamsters were positive for bacteremia and the isolation of the agent in spleen, liver, mesenteric lymphnodes, beyond granulomatous lesions in all the organs studied, up to 256 days postinoculation, in experiment 2. Conclusions: 1) the M. avium set offan infectious process of the chronic type; 2) the strain in this study demonstrated low virulence; 3) the tested model is useful for experimental studies with M. avium that demand a long period of duration.
KEY WORD:
Mycobacterium avium complex; hamster; infection.
Thumbnail
Thumbnail
Thumbnail
